Trifoliate gallbladder: A rare congenital anomaly masquerading as acute cholecystitis

Triple gallbladder, an extremely rare congenital anomaly, can mimic more common biliary conditions. Accurate diagnosis through imaging and a multidisciplinary approach is essential for timely surgical management, preventing complications, and ensuring better patient outcomes.

The multiplication of the gallbladder is a congenital malformation with a rare incidence of 1 in 4000 patients, among which the trifoliate gallbladder, even rarer, is included. Gallbladder anomalies are typically discovered incidentally while investigating conditions like gallstones, sedimentation, gallbladder inflammation, or malignancy. The clinical presentation of trifoliate gallbladder disease varies, and it may require a variety of imaging modalities to obtain a preoperative diagnosis. Recommended therapeutics for this anomaly are open or laparoscopic cholecystectomy, depending on the patient's condition. Early diagnosis of gallbladder multiplications is vital to improve prognosis and mitigate the risk of complications like cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, metaplasia, and adenocarcinoma. In our case, we present a 30-year-old male with the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis with triple gallbladder. A confirmatory diagnosis was made with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). The patient responded well to the therapy given and was discharged for follow-up.